JP2010114101A - Substrate processing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus and method capable of reducing the volume of a chamber of a substrate processing vessel where substrates to be processed should be processed and preventing time required for conveying the substrates to be processed from being extended. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes: the substrate processing vessel 30 having a chamber 30a inside for storing a substrate W to be processed; a first conveyance unit 40 for delivering the substrate W to the substrate processing vessel 30; and a second conveyance unit 14 for delivering the substrate W to the first conveyance unit 40 and receiving the substrate W from the first conveyance unit 40. The first conveyance unit 40 is of noncontact type and holds the substrate W from above without being in contact with an upper surface of the substrate W. The second conveyance unit 14 is of contact type and holds the substrate W by being in contact with the substrate W. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for storing a substrate to be processed in a chamber of a substrate processing container and processing the substrate to be processed stored in the chamber by supplying a processing fluid to the chamber. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of reducing the volume of a chamber of a substrate processing container in which a substrate to be processed is to be processed and preventing an increase in time required for transporting the substrate to be processed.

  Generally, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a predetermined circuit pattern is formed on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) by using a photolithography technique. The circuit pattern is formed by applying a photoresist solution to a cleaned wafer to form a resist film, exposing the resist film in a predetermined pattern, and developing the exposed resist film. The method includes a step of performing etching or the like as needed, and a step of removing the resist film that is no longer needed from the wafer.

  In recent years, as a method of removing a resist film from a wafer, there has been proposed a method of removing a resist film from a wafer by altering the resist film to be water-soluble using a processing gas containing water vapor and ozone, followed by washing with water. Yes.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a wafer processing container 80 used for performing a process of changing the resist film into water-soluble. The wafer processing container 80 has a fixed container body 81 and a lid 82 that can be raised and lowered. The wafer processing container 80 is opened and closed by the vertical movement of the lid 82. A stage 83 is provided in the container body 81, and a plurality of support pins 83 a for supporting the wafer W from below are provided on the surface of the stage 83. Further, on the side wall of the container body 81, a supply port 84 for introducing a processing gas containing water vapor and ozone into the chamber 80a in the wafer processing container 80, and an exhaust port 85 for exhausting the processing gas from the chamber 80a, Are provided opposite to each other. Heaters 86a and 86b are embedded in the lid 82 and the stage 83, respectively, and the wafer W supported by the support pins 83a is heated to a predetermined temperature. The wafer W is placed on and removed from the support pins 83a by a wafer transfer arm (not shown) that transfers the wafer W.

  In the wafer processing container 80 having the structure as shown in FIG. 11, the wafer transfer arm can be smoothly transferred between the wafer transfer arm and the support pins 83a without the wafer transfer arm colliding with the stage 83. In order to reduce the volume of the chamber 80a and to further reduce the distance from the stage 83 to the wafer W and prevent the heating efficiency of the wafer W from being reduced, a pin is provided on the lower surface of each support pin 83a. A lift cylinder 87 is attached, and the pin lift cylinder 87 raises and lowers each support pin 83 a, so that the wafer W supported by each support pin 83 a from below is positioned close to the stage 83 and separated from the stage 83. A method of moving up and down between them is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-50798

  However, when the wafer processing container 80 as shown in FIG. 11 is used, the following problems may occur. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the pin elevating cylinder 87 needs to be provided so as to penetrate the bottom wall of the wafer processing container 80 and the stage 83. In this case, in order to maintain the airtightness of the chamber 80a, it is necessary to provide a confidential seal member such as an O-ring between the bottom wall of the wafer processing container 80, the stage 83, and the pin lifting cylinder 87. However, since the processing gas introduced into the chamber 80a contains ozone, and this ozone is a corrosive gas, there is a problem in that the sealing member described above is easily corroded and the sealing member must be frequently replaced. . Further, it is necessary to form a through hole through which the pin elevating cylinder 87 passes in the bottom wall of the wafer processing container 80 and the stage 83. However, the processing of such a through hole is a difficult operation and the cost is low. There is a problem of becoming high.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such points, and can reduce the volume of the chamber of the substrate processing container in which the substrate to be processed is processed. Since it is not necessary to provide a penetrating device, the seal member for sealing the device does not corrode by the processing fluid in the chamber, and the time required for transporting the substrate to be processed becomes longer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can prevent the above.

  The present invention has a chamber in which a substrate to be processed is housed, and a substrate processing container for processing the substrate to be processed stored in the chamber by supplying a processing fluid to the chamber; A non-contact type first transfer unit that holds the substrate to be processed from above without contacting the upper surface and delivers the substrate to be processed to the substrate processing container, and the substrate to be processed by contacting the substrate to be processed. A contact-type second transfer unit that holds a processing substrate and delivers the substrate to be processed to the first transfer unit and receives the substrate to be processed from the first transfer unit. A substrate processing apparatus.

  The present invention also includes a step of holding the substrate to be processed by contacting the substrate to be processed by the contact-type second transfer unit, and transferring the substrate to be processed to the non-contact type first transfer unit; A process of holding the substrate to be processed transported by the second transport unit from above without contacting the upper surface of the substrate by the first transport unit, and transferring the substrate to be processed from the second transport unit to the first transport unit. And a step of placing the substrate to be processed at the substrate holding position by moving the first transfer unit holding the substrate to be processed to the substrate holding position of the substrate processing container, and supplying a processing fluid into the substrate holding container. A process of processing the substrate to be processed accommodated in the substrate holding container, and a substrate to be processed that has been accommodated in the substrate holding container and processed by the processing fluid. The first transfer unit holds the substrate from above without contacting the upper surface thereof, and then moves the first transfer unit, and delivers the substrate to be processed held by the first transfer unit to the second transfer unit. And a step of transporting the substrate to be processed by the second transport unit.

  According to such a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method, the second substrate that comes into contact with the substrate to be processed is transported in such a manner that the substrate to be processed is brought close to or separated from the substrate processing container. By using the transfer unit, the substrate to be processed can be transferred at high speed. When the substrate to be processed is accommodated in the chamber of the substrate processing container or taken out from the chamber in the vicinity of the substrate processing container. Uses a non-contact first transfer unit that can hold the substrate to be processed from above without contacting the upper surface of the substrate to be processed. As described above, since the substrate to be processed is put in and out of the chamber by the non-contact type first transfer unit, the support pins installed in the chamber for supporting the substrate to be processed can be shortened. The support pin can be omitted, and the volume of the chamber can be reduced. Further, there is no need to provide an instrument for raising and lowering the substrate to be processed contained in the chamber so as to penetrate the wall of the substrate processing container, and the sealing member for sealing the instrument is corroded by the processing fluid in the chamber. There is no such thing as happening. Furthermore, high-speed conveyance is required in conveyance in which the substrate to be processed is brought close to the substrate processing container or separated from the substrate processing container. High-speed conveyance is difficult with the conveyance method using the Bernoulli effect, but high-speed conveyance is possible by using the contact-type second conveyance unit, and it is possible to prevent the time required for conveyance of the substrate to be processed from becoming long.

  In the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method of the present invention, the first transport unit is configured to provide a flat plate facing the upper surface of the substrate to be processed to be held, and gas from the flat plate toward the substrate to be processed to be held. And a first jetting unit that contacts the upper surface of the substrate to be processed using the Bernoulli effect by jetting gas from the gas jetting portion to the upper surface of the substrate to be processed. It is preferable that the substrate to be processed is held from above. Here, the Bernoulli effect means that when a fluid such as a gas flows, a static pressure is lowered on the streamline, and an object is attracted by a negative pressure that is a difference from the atmospheric pressure. By using the first transport unit that utilizes the Bernoulli effect, the first transport unit can reliably hold the substrate to be processed from above without contacting the upper surface of the substrate to be processed. It becomes like this. Furthermore, it is preferable that the gas ejected from the gas ejection portion of the first transport unit is nitrogen gas.

  In the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method of the present invention, it is preferable that the second transfer unit has a transfer arm that holds the substrate to be processed from below. By using a transfer arm that holds the substrate to be processed from below as the second transfer unit, the substrate to be processed can be reliably transferred at high speed, and the target to be processed held by the second transfer unit Since the upper side of the substrate is opened, the substrate to be processed can be reliably transferred between the second transport unit and the first transport unit.

  In the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method of the present invention, it is preferable that the processing fluid supplied to the chamber of the substrate processing container is a mixed gas of ozone and water vapor. According to such a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method, the resist film adhering to the substrate to be processed is changed to water-soluble, and then the substrate is washed with water to remove the resist film from the substrate to be processed. Will be able to. Although ozone gas is a corrosive gas, a series of treatments can be performed without problems even when such a corrosive gas is supplied to the chamber.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the volume of the chamber of the substrate processing container in which the substrate to be processed is processed, and to install an instrument penetrating the wall of the substrate processing container. Since there is no need to provide a seal member for sealing this device, the contact fluid is not corroded by the processing fluid in the chamber, and the contact-type second transfer unit can be used to enable high-speed transfer, and the object to be processed It can be prevented that the time required for transporting the substrate becomes long.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 10 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  First, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the whole structure of the substrate processing apparatus in one embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 is for performing a resist water-solubilization process on a wafer W coated with a resist. Specifically, in this substrate processing apparatus 1, a process of water-solubilizing the resist applied to the surface of the wafer W is performed by using a mixed gas of ozone (O ₃ ) and water vapor (pure water). Is called.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing station 2, a transfer station 3, a carrier station 4, and a chemical station 5. A carrier C containing a wafer W is loaded into the carrier station 4 from another system or the like, and a carrier C containing a wafer W that has been subjected to predetermined processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is transferred from the carrier station 4. It is to be carried out to another system that performs the next processing. The processing station 2 has a plurality of processing units for performing resist water-solubilization processing, and subsequent resist removal processing, water washing / drying processing, and the like on the wafer W. The transfer station 3 is provided with an apparatus for transferring the wafer W between the processing station 2 and the carrier station 4. The chemical station 5 generates and stores chemicals and gases used in the processing station 2.

  The wafers W are accommodated in the carrier C in a substantially horizontal posture at regular intervals in the vertical direction (Z direction). The wafer W is carried into and out of the carrier C through an opening formed on one side surface of the carrier C, and the opening is a detachable lid 10a (not shown in FIG. 1. The lid 10a is removed in FIG. 2). Open / closed).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the carrier station 4 has mounting tables 6 on which carriers C can be mounted at three locations along the Y direction in the figure. The carrier C is placed on the placing table 6 such that the side surface on which the lid is provided faces the boundary wall 8 a between the carrier station 4 and the transfer station 3. A window 9a is formed at a position corresponding to the place where the carrier C is placed on the boundary wall 8a, and a shutter 10 for opening and closing the window 9a is provided on the transfer station 3 side of each window 9a. The shutter 10 is provided with gripping means (not shown) for gripping the lid 10a of the carrier C. As shown in FIG. 2, the gripping means removes the lid 10 a from the carrier C and retracts it in the transfer station 3.

  The wafer transfer device 7 provided in the transfer station 3 has a wafer transfer pick 7 a for holding the wafer W. The wafer transfer device 7 is movable in the Y direction along a guide 11 (see FIG. 2) extending in the Y direction on the floor of the transfer station 3. The wafer transfer pick 7a is movable in the horizontal direction, can be moved up and down in the Z direction, and is rotatable (θ rotation) in the XY plane.

  When the shutter 10 is opened and the inside of the carrier C communicates with the transfer station 3 via the window 9a, the wafer transfer pick 7a can access all the wafers W in the carrier C mounted on the mounting table 6. Yes, the wafer W at an arbitrary height position in the carrier C can be unloaded from the carrier C, and conversely, the wafer W can be loaded into an arbitrary position of the carrier C.

  The processing station 2 has two wafer placement units (TRS) 13a and 13b on the transfer station 3 side. The wafer mounting unit 13b temporarily stores the unprocessed wafer W when the unprocessed wafer W is carried into the processing station 2 from the transfer station 3. When the processed wafer W is returned from the processing station 2 to the transfer station 3, the wafer mounting unit 13a temporarily stores the processed wafer W. Since clean air is down-flowed from the filter fan unit (FFU) 18 in the processing station 2, the processed wafer W is placed on the upper wafer mounting unit 13 a, so that the processed wafer W is processed. Contamination is suppressed.

  A window 9 b is provided at a position on the wafer mounting units 13 a and 13 b on the boundary wall 8 b between the transfer station 3 and the processing station 2. The wafer transfer pick 7a can access the wafer mounting units 13a and 13b through the window 9b. Therefore, the wafer transport pick 7a can transport the wafer W between the carrier C and the wafer mounting units 13a and 13b.

  In the processing station 2, eight resist water solubilization processing units (VOS) 15 a for performing a process of changing the resist film formed on the wafer W to water-soluble are arranged in two rows and four stages on the back side of the substrate processing apparatus 1. Has been placed. Further, the processing station 2 includes a series of processes in which the resist film solubilized by the resist water-solubilizing unit 15a is removed from the wafer W, the wafer W is cleaned to a clean state, and the wafer W is dried. The four cleaning processing units (CLN) 12a for performing the above are arranged on the front side of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in two rows and two stages. A main wafer transfer unit 14 for transferring the wafer W in the process station 2 is provided at a substantially central portion of the process station 2.

  The main wafer transfer unit 14 has a wafer transfer arm 14a for transferring the wafer W. The main body of the main wafer transfer unit 14 is rotatable around the Z axis. The wafer transfer arm 14a can move back and forth in the horizontal direction and can move up and down in the Z direction. The wafer transfer unit 14 can access each unit provided in the processing station 2, and can transfer the wafer W between these units. Details of the configuration of the main wafer transfer unit 14 will be described later.

  The plurality of resist water-solubilizing units 15a have a substantially symmetric structure with respect to the boundary wall 22b. As will be described in detail later, the resist water-solubilization processing unit 15a includes a sealed wafer processing container 30 (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) that accommodates the wafer W in a horizontal posture. A processing gas containing water vapor and ozone is supplied into the wafer processing container 30, whereby the resist film formed on the surface of the wafer W is altered so that it can be easily removed from the wafer W.

  The cleaning processing unit 12a includes a spin chuck that rotates while holding the wafer W, a cup that surrounds the spin chuck, and a cleaning liquid spray nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid (pure water, organic solvent) onto the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck. And a gas injection nozzle that injects a dry gas onto the surface of the wafer W. Such cleaning units are well known and will not be described in detail here.

  The chemical station 5 stores a processing gas supply device 16 that generates a processing gas containing water vapor and ozone and supplies the processing gas to the resist water-solubilization processing unit 15a, and a cleaning liquid used in the cleaning processing unit 12a and sends the cleaning liquid from there. And a cleaning liquid supply device 17.

  Next, the structure of the resist water-solubilization processing unit 15a will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic longitudinal sectional views of the resist water-solubilization processing unit 15a, and FIG. 5 is a top view of the wafer processing container 30, the main wafer transfer unit 14, and a non-contact type wafer chuck 40 described later. The resist water-solubilization processing unit 15a has a configuration in which a sealed wafer processing container 30 for storing a wafer W is disposed inside a box (not shown). The wafer processing container 30 includes a chamber 30a in which the wafer W is accommodated, and the processing gas generated by the processing gas supply device 16 is supplied to the chamber 30a, whereby the wafer W accommodated in the chamber 30a. Processing is to be performed.

  The wafer processing container 30 includes a container main body 31a and a lid body 31b that covers the upper surface of the container main body 31a. The lid 31b can be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism 32 such as an air cylinder fixed to a frame or an upper wall (not shown) constituting the box. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the lid 31b is spaced above the container body 31a, and FIG. 4 shows a state in which the lid 31b is in close contact with the container body 31a.

  An O-ring 33 is disposed on the upper surface of the peripheral edge 34c of the container body 31a. The lower surface of the peripheral portion 35c of the lid 31b is a substantially flat surface. When the lid body 31b is lowered, the O-ring 33 is compressed, and the space between the lower surface of the peripheral edge portion 35c of the lid body 31b and the upper surface of the peripheral edge portion 34c of the container main body 31a is sealed. In this manner, in a state where the lid 31b as shown in FIG. 4 is in close contact with the container body 31a, the chamber 30a (wafer processing chamber) is formed in a sealed state between the container body 31a and the lid 31b. .

  The peripheral edge 34c of the container body 31a has a supply port 36a for supplying a processing gas containing water vapor and ozone to the chamber 30a, and an exhaust port 36b for discharging the processing gas used for the processing in the chamber 30a. Is provided. Various gases used for purging the chamber 30a before and after the supply of the processing gas to the chamber 30a, such as nitrogen gas, can be supplied from the supply port 36a.

  A disk-shaped stage 34a is provided at the center of the container body 31a. An annular groove 34b is formed between the stage 34a and the peripheral edge 34c. A plurality of (for example, four) support pins (specifically, for example, proximity pins) 38 for supporting the wafer W are provided on the stage 34a. Each support pin 38 supports the peripheral edge of the wafer W from below. Such support pins 38 can be omitted, and the wafer W may be placed directly on the stage 34a.

  A heater 39a for heating the wafer W is embedded in the stage 34a of the container body 31a. During processing, the wafer W is held in the state of being close to the stage 34a by the support pins 38, so that the temperature of the wafer W can be raised in a short time. In addition, the uniformity of the temperature distribution of the wafer W is also improved. Therefore, it is possible to improve the processing quality while improving the throughput. The lid 31b is also provided with a heater 39b. By providing the heater 39b, the temperature of the wafer W can be increased more quickly and uniformly.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a non-contact type wafer chuck (Bernoulli chuck) 40 is installed in the vicinity of the wafer processing container 30. In the present embodiment, the plurality of non-contact type wafer chucks 40 have a target structure with respect to the boundary wall 22b. The non-contact type wafer chuck 40 receives the wafer W from the wafer transfer arm 14 a of the main wafer transfer unit 14, transfers the wafer W to the support pins 38, and takes out the wafer W placed on the support pins 38. The wafer is transferred to the wafer transfer arm 14a of the main wafer transfer unit 14. Hereinafter, details of the configuration of the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 5, and 6.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 has a disk-shaped flat plate 41 that faces the upper surface of the wafer W to be held, and a support arm 42 that supports the upper surface of the flat plate 41. is doing. Specifically, the upper surface of the flat plate 41 is attached to the distal end of the support arm 42, and the base end of the support arm 42 is attached to the rotation support portion 43. Further, as shown in detail in FIG. 9 and the like, the rotation support portion 43 is attached to a column member 45 extending in the vertical direction, and the rotation support portion 43 is movable along the column member 45 in the vertical direction. And is rotatable about the support member 45. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the support arm 42 can swing around the column member 45. As the support arm 42 swings about the support member 45, the flat plate 41 attached to the tip of the support arm 42 is directly above the container body 31a of the wafer processing container 30 as shown by the solid line in FIG. A reciprocating movement is performed between the position and a position retracted from the wafer processing container 30 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6 and the like, a gas transport path 41 a for injecting gas toward the lower side of the flat plate 41 is provided in the center of the disc-shaped flat plate 41. A gas conveyance path 42 a is also provided inside the support arm 42 such that one end communicates with the gas conveyance path 41 a of the flat plate 41 and the other end extends to the rotation support portion 43. A gas supply source (not shown) that supplies high-temperature (for example, about 50 degrees) nitrogen gas is connected to the rotation support portion 43 in the gas conveyance path 42 a of the support arm 42. A gas ejection section for ejecting nitrogen gas from the central portion of the flat plate 41 toward the wafer W to be held is constituted by the gas transfer paths 41 a and 42 a and the gas supply source. Then, nitrogen gas is ejected from the central portion of the lower surface of the flat plate 41 to the upper surface of the wafer W by such a gas ejecting portion, so that the wafer W is moved upward without contacting the upper surface of the wafer W using the Bernoulli effect. Will be able to hold from. As described above, the Bernoulli effect means that when a fluid such as a gas flows, the static pressure is lowered on the streamline, and the object is attracted by a negative pressure that is a difference from the atmospheric pressure. By using the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 using the Bernoulli effect, the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 can reliably hold the wafer W from above without contacting the upper surface of the wafer W. Will be able to.

  As shown in FIG. 6 and the like, a guide member 44 that guides the peripheral portion of the wafer W held by the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 is provided at the peripheral portion of the disk-shaped flat plate 41. The guide member 44 protrudes further downward from the lower surface of the flat plate 41, and is curved in a concave shape at a location where it should contact the peripheral edge of the held wafer W. By providing such a guide member 44, it is possible to prevent the wafer W attracted to the flat plate 41 due to the Bernoulli effect from moving in the horizontal direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a concave dent 41 b is formed at the center of the flat plate 41. By forming such a recess 41 b, a negative pressure is generated in the recess 41 b when nitrogen gas is ejected downward from the gas transport path 41 a of the flat plate 41, and the force that attracts the wafer W to the flat plate 41 is exerted. Can be increased.

  Here, as the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 for transferring the wafer W between the main wafer transfer unit 14 and the wafer processing container 30, a disk-shaped flat plate 41 as shown in FIGS. It is not limited to. As another embodiment of the non-contact type wafer chuck, as shown in FIG. 7, a substantially rectangular flat plate 51, a guide rail 52 for guiding the flat plate 51 to reciprocate linearly, and a flat plate along the guide rail 52 The reciprocating drive unit 55 that reciprocates 51 and the elevating drive unit that raises and lowers the guide rail 52 and the reciprocating drive unit 55 integrally in the ascending / descending direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 7). 56 can be used. FIG. 7 is a top view showing another configuration of the non-contact type wafer chuck in the present embodiment.

  A gas transport path 51a is provided in the center of the substantially rectangular flat plate 51 so as to eject gas toward the lower side of the flat plate 51. A gas supply source (not shown) is provided in the gas transport path 51a. ) Is in communication. By supplying nitrogen gas from a gas supply source to the gas transfer path 51a, nitrogen gas is jetted from the center of the lower surface of the flat plate 51 onto the upper surface of the wafer W. Accordingly, the non-contact type wafer chuck 50 as shown in FIG. 7 can hold the wafer W from above without making contact with the upper surface of the wafer W by utilizing the Bernoulli effect.

  When the substantially rectangular flat plate 51 is driven by the reciprocating drive unit 55 to reciprocate along the guide rail 52, the flat plate 51 is positioned just above the container body 31 a of the wafer processing container 30. The reciprocation is performed with respect to the position retracted from the wafer processing container 30. Further, the guide rail 52 and the reciprocating drive unit 55 are also freely movable in the ascending / descending direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 7) by the elevating drive unit 56. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a guide member 54 that guides the peripheral portion of the wafer W held by the non-contact type wafer chuck 50 is provided on the lower surface of the flat plate 51. The guide member 54 protrudes further downward from the lower surface of the flat plate 51. By providing such a guide member 54, it is possible to prevent the wafer W attracted to the flat plate 51 from moving in the horizontal direction due to the Bernoulli effect.

  Details of the configuration of the main wafer transfer unit 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. 8A is a perspective view showing the main wafer transfer unit 14, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 8A.

  The main wafer transfer unit 14 includes a fork support 14b that can move in the X direction, and a pair of forks 14a and 14a that are movably supported by the fork support 14b. The fork support 14b includes a base member 14d that travels on a rail 14c that extends in the X direction, a vertical movement mechanism 14e that is provided on the upper surface of the base member 14d, and that can expand and contract in the Z direction (vertical direction), and a vertical And a base 14f provided on the upper part of the moving mechanism 14e.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the base 14f has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and is supported on the vertical movement mechanism 14e so that the base surface is parallel to the XY plane (horizontal plane). As shown in FIG. 8A, the vertical movement mechanism 14e can rotate in the θ direction with respect to the base member 14d around an axis orthogonal to the XY plane (horizontal plane). That is, the base 14f can be moved in the Y direction and the Z direction, and can be moved in the θ direction. As a result, the fork support 14b can be moved (moved in the X, Y, and Z directions and rotated in the θ direction) so that the fork 14a faces the wafer mounting unit 13a or the resist water-solubilizing unit 15a. .

  The fork 14a that supports the wafer W is supported by a base 14f. As shown in FIG. 8A, each fork 14a includes a substantially flat fork main body 14g and a horizontal movement mechanism 14h fixed to the base end of the fork main body 14g. The horizontal movement mechanism 14h is movable relative to the base 14f along the longitudinal direction of the base 14f. Thereby, the fork 14a which supports the wafer W is movable with respect to the fork support 14b.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, each fork main body 14g has a substantially U-shaped distal end and a proximal end connected to the horizontal movement mechanism 14h. The wafer W is held by the substantially U-shaped tip.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, for example, three support members 14i for holding and positioning the edge of the wafer W are attached to each fork 14a.

  Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 configured as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, particularly the operation of applying the resist water-solubilizing process to the resist-coated wafer W in the resist water-solubilizing unit 15a. 9 and FIG.

  First, the carrier C containing the etched wafer W is placed on the placing table 6 by an operator or by an automatic transfer device. A resist film used as an etching mask in the etching process is attached to the wafer W. Next, the shutter 10 is lowered, the window 9a is opened, and the lid 10a is removed from the carrier C. Subsequently, one wafer W at a predetermined position of the carrier C is transferred to the wafer mounting unit 13b by the wafer transfer pick 7a.

  Next, the wafer transfer arm 14a of the main wafer transfer unit 14 loads the wafer W mounted on the wafer mounting unit 13b into the resist water-solubilizing unit 15a. The wafer W is carried into the resist water-solubilization processing unit 15a as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the lid 31b of the wafer processing container 30 is separated from the container main body 31a and retracted above the container main body 31a. Thereafter, the wafer transfer arm 14a holding the wafer W is caused to enter the region between the container main body 31a and the lid 31b. At the same time, the support arm 42 of the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 is rotated about the support member 45, thereby moving the flat plate 41 to a position above the container body 31a. At this time, by moving the rotation support portion 43 in the vertical direction along the support member 45, the flat plate 41 is positioned directly above the wafer W on the wafer transfer arm 14a as shown in FIG. 9B. Like that. Next, in the state shown in FIG. 9B, the gas is jetted downward from the center of the bottom surface of the flat plate 41 by supplying nitrogen gas from the gas supply source to the gas transport paths 41 a and 42 a. As a result, the wafer W on the wafer transfer arm 14a is attracted to the lower surface of the flat plate 41 by the Bernoulli effect (see FIG. 9C). Thereafter, the wafer transfer arm 14a is retracted from the region between the container main body 31a and the lid 31b.

  After the wafer transfer arm 14a is retracted from the wafer processing container 30, as shown in FIG. 9 (d), the rotation support portion 43 is lowered along the support member 45, and thereby the flat plate 41 is lowered. Then, the supply of nitrogen gas from the gas supply unit is stopped in a state in which the wafer W attracted to the lower surface of the flat plate 41 is close to each support pin 38. Then, the wafer W is separated from the flat plate 41, and the wafer W is placed on each support pin 38. In this way, the transfer of the wafer W from the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 to the wafer processing container 30 is completed. Thereafter, the rotation support portion 43 is raised, and the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 is retracted from the wafer processing container 30 as shown in FIG.

  After retracting the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 from the wafer processing container 30, the lid 31b is lowered by the elevating mechanism 32, and the lid 31b is brought into close contact with the container main body 31a (see FIG. 9F). As a result, the chamber 30a in the wafer processing container 30 is sealed. Then, the temperature inside the chamber 30a is raised by the heaters 39a and 39b of the container body 31a and the lid body 31b.

  Thereafter, ozone gas is supplied into the chamber 30a from the supply port 36a so that the inside of the wafer processing container 30 has a predetermined positive pressure. Thereafter, a mixed processing fluid (that is, a processing gas) in which water vapor is further mixed with ozone gas is supplied into the chamber 30a. The resist film formed on the wafer W by this processing gas is oxidized and becomes water-soluble. During this process, the supply flow rate of the process gas from the supply port 36a to the chamber 30a and the exhaust flow rate of the process gas from the discharge port 36b are appropriately adjusted so that the inside of the chamber 30a is maintained at a predetermined positive pressure. Thereby, the time required for water-solubilization of the resist film can be shortened and the throughput can be improved.

  When the resist water-solubilization process is completed, the supply of the processing gas is stopped. Subsequently, nitrogen gas is supplied from the supply port 36a into the chamber 30a, and the inside of the chamber 30a is purged with nitrogen gas. It is confirmed that the internal pressure of the wafer processing container 30 is the same as the external pressure in the state where the purge process using nitrogen gas has been completed. This is because the wafer processing container 30 may be damaged if the wafer processing container 30 is opened in a state where the internal pressure of the wafer processing container 30 is higher than the atmospheric pressure.

  After the internal pressure of the wafer processing container 30 is confirmed, the lid 31b is raised by the elevating mechanism 32 as shown in FIG. After that, as shown in FIG. 10B, the flat plate 41 of the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 is mounted on the true surface of the wafer W supported by the support pins 38 in a state where the lid 31b is spaced upward from the container body 31a. Move upward (see FIG. 10C). Then, as shown in FIG. 10C, nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply source to the gas transfer paths 41a and 42a in a state where the flat plate 41 is positioned directly above the wafer W on the support pins 38. Thus, gas is ejected downward from the central portion of the bottom surface of the flat plate 41. Thus, the wafer W on the support pins 38 is attracted to the lower surface of the flat plate 41 by the Bernoulli effect. Then, the flat plate 41 is moved upward by raising the rotation support portion 43 along the support member 45. Then, the wafer transfer arm 14a is moved into the area between the container main body 31a and the lid 31b, and the wafer transfer arm 14a is moved to the flat plate 41 as shown in FIG. Position directly below.

  Subsequently, the supply of nitrogen gas from the gas supply unit is stopped in a state in which the wafer W attracted to the lower surface of the flat plate 41 is close to the wafer transfer arm 14a. Then, the wafer W is separated from the flat plate 41 and transferred to the wafer transfer arm 14a (see FIG. 10E). In this way, the transfer of the wafer W from the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 to the main wafer transfer unit 14 is completed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10 (f), the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 is retracted from the wafer processing container 30, and the wafer transfer arm 14 a holding the wafer W is also retracted from the wafer processing container 30. In this way, a series of processes in the resist water solubilization processing unit 15a is completed.

  In the processing in the resist water-solubilization processing unit 15a, the resist is changed into water-soluble, but the water-solubilized resist is not removed from the wafer W. For this reason, the wafer W is carried into one of the plurality of cleaning processing units 12a, and the removal process of the water-soluble resist is performed using the cleaning liquid.

  Subsequently, the wafer W cleaned in the cleaning processing unit 12a is rotationally dried.

  As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the wafer W is brought into contact with the wafer W in the transfer in which the wafer W is brought close to or separated from the wafer processing container 30. By using the main contact-type main wafer transfer unit 14, high-speed transfer is possible. In the vicinity of the wafer processing container 30, the wafer W is accommodated in the chamber 30 a of the wafer processing container 30, and the wafer W is transferred from the chamber 30 a When the wafer W is taken out, a non-contact type wafer chuck 40 that can hold the wafer W from above without contacting the upper surface of the wafer W is used. As described above, since the wafer W is put in and out of the chamber 30a by the non-contact type wafer chuck 40, the support pins 38 for supporting the wafer W installed in the chamber 30a are shortened or the support is performed. The pin 38 can be omitted, and the volume of the chamber 30a can be reduced. Further, it is not necessary to provide an instrument for raising and lowering the wafer W accommodated in the chamber 30a so as to penetrate the wall of the wafer processing container 30, and a sealing member for sealing the instrument is a processing fluid in the chamber 30a. It does not happen that it corrodes. Further, in the transfer in which the wafer W is moved closer to or away from the wafer processing container 30, the contact-type main wafer transfer unit 14 can be used to enable high-speed transfer. It can be prevented that the time required for conveyance becomes long.

  Note that the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is not limited to the above aspect, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 is provided corresponding to each wafer processing container 30 has been described. Two non-contact type wafer chucks 40 may be installed, and the one non-contact type wafer chuck 40 may be used alternately for the two wafer processing containers 30.

  Further, the flat plate 41 of the non-contact type wafer chuck 40 is not limited to a disc shape as shown in FIG. 5 or a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. Can do.

1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic side view by the AA arrow of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the resist water-solubilization processing unit in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1, and is a view showing a state where the lid of the wafer processing container is in the raised position. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the resist water-solubilization processing unit in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is a top view of a wafer processing container, a main wafer transfer unit, and a non-contact type wafer chuck in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a non-contact type wafer chuck in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a top view which shows the other structure of the non-contact-type wafer chuck in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the main wafer conveyance unit in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing by the BB arrow of FIG. 8A. It is explanatory drawing which shows sequentially a series of operation | movement at the time of delivering the wafer hold | maintained at the wafer transfer arm of the main wafer transfer unit to a wafer processing container. It is explanatory drawing which shows in order a series of operation | movement at the time of transferring the wafer accommodated in the wafer processing container to the wafer transfer arm of the main wafer transfer unit, and evacuating from this wafer processing container. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the other wafer processing container in the conventional substrate processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 2 Processing station 3 Transfer station 4 Carrier station 5 Chemical station 6 Mounting table 7 Wafer transfer apparatus 7a Wafer transfer picks 8a and 8b Boundary walls 9a and 9b Window 10 Shutter 10a Lid 11 Guide 12a Cleaning processing units 13a and 13b Wafer mounting unit 14 Main wafer transfer unit 14a Wafer transfer arm 14b Fork support 14c Rail 14d Base member 14e Vertical movement mechanism 14f Base 14g Fork main body 14h Horizontal movement mechanism 14i Support member 15a Resist water solubilization processing unit 16 Process gas supply device 17 Cleaning solution supply device 18 Filter fan unit 22b Boundary wall 30 Wafer processing vessel 30a Chamber 31a Container body 31b Lid 32 Lifting mechanism 33 O-ring 34a Stage 34b Groove 34 Peripheral portion 35c Peripheral portion 36a Supply port 36b Discharge port 38 Support pins 39a, 39b Heater 40 Non-contact type wafer chuck 41 Flat plate 41a Gas transport path 41b Depression 42 Support arm 42a Gas transport path 43 Rotation support section 44 Guide member 45 Strut member 50 Non-contact type wafer chuck 51 Flat plate 51a Gas transport path 52 Guide rail 54 Guide member 80 Wafer processing container 80a Chamber 81 Container body 82 Lid 83 Stage 83a Support pin 84 Supply port 85 Discharge port 86a, 86b Heater 87 Pin lifting cylinder

Claims (10)

A substrate processing container for processing a substrate to be processed stored in the chamber by supplying a processing fluid to the chamber;
A non-contact first transfer unit that holds the substrate to be processed from above without contacting the upper surface of the substrate to be processed, and delivers the substrate to be processed to the substrate processing container;
A contact-type second transport unit that holds the target substrate by contacting the target substrate and delivers the target substrate to the first transport unit and receives the target substrate from the first transport unit. When,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:   The first transport unit includes a flat plate facing an upper surface of the substrate to be processed to be held, and a gas ejection unit that ejects gas from the flat plate toward the substrate to be processed. The one transport unit is configured to hold the substrate to be processed from above without contacting the upper surface of the substrate to be processed using the Bernoulli effect by jetting gas from the gas jetting unit to the upper surface of the substrate to be processed. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the gas ejected from the gas ejection section of the first transfer unit is nitrogen gas.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second transfer unit includes a transfer arm that holds a substrate to be processed from below.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing fluid supplied to the chamber of the substrate processing container is a mixed gas of ozone and water vapor. Holding the substrate to be processed by contacting the substrate to be processed by the contact-type second transfer unit, and transferring the substrate to be processed to the non-contact type first transfer unit;
The substrate to be processed transported by the second transport unit is held from above without contacting the upper surface of the substrate by the first transport unit, and the substrate to be processed is transferred from the second transport unit to the first transport unit. Process,
Placing the substrate to be processed at the substrate holding position by moving the first transfer unit holding the substrate to be processed to the substrate holding position of the substrate processing container;
Processing the substrate to be processed contained in the substrate holding container by supplying a processing fluid into the substrate holding container;
Holding the substrate to be processed which has been stored in the substrate holding container and processed by the processing fluid from above without contacting the upper surface thereof by the first transfer unit, and then moving the first transfer unit;
Transferring the substrate to be processed held by the first transfer unit to the second transfer unit, and transferring the substrate to be processed by the second transfer unit;
A substrate processing method comprising:   The first transport unit includes a flat plate facing an upper surface of the substrate to be processed to be held, and a gas ejection unit that ejects gas from the flat plate toward the substrate to be processed. The one transport unit is configured to hold the substrate to be processed from above without contacting the upper surface of the substrate to be processed using the Bernoulli effect by jetting gas from the gas jetting unit to the upper surface of the substrate to be processed. The substrate processing method according to claim 6.   8. The substrate processing method according to claim 6, wherein the gas ejected from the gas ejection portion of the first transfer unit is nitrogen gas.   The substrate processing method according to claim 6, wherein the second transfer unit includes a transfer arm that holds a substrate to be processed from below.   The substrate processing method according to claim 6, wherein the processing fluid supplied to the chamber of the substrate processing container is a mixed gas of ozone and water vapor.

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